Green Mountain Collection 2

by Marie Force

  “Don’t ‘Hannah’ me. You know I’m right.” She plopped down on the other sofa, kicked off her shoes and put her feet up. “I’m not going anywhere,” she said with a mulish look for her husband, who sighed as he sat in the rocking chair. “You don’t have to stay. I can handle him.” She used her thumb to gesture at Hunter.

  “Where’s Mom when I need her?” Hunter asked. “She could get you out of here.”

  “She’s exhausted from worrying about you, so Dad took her home to get some sleep. I’m sure she’ll be here to hover first thing in the morning.”

  “Excellent,” Hunter said, resigned to being fussed over by everyone other than the one person he wanted fussing over him. If only he weren’t so damned exhausted and still drugged up. He’d be at her place by now, fighting for them the way he always had. That wasn’t in the cards tonight. But tomorrow … Tomorrow he’d get someone to take him to her so they could fix this before it got any worse.

  Megan was relieved to see the lights off in Nina and Brett’s house, where they were camping out on an air mattress for their final nights in Butler before they left for France. The house was empty and would be turned over to the new tenants at the end of the week. Nina had told her they were a newly retired couple who were thinking of relocating to Vermont but wanted to experience a winter before they committed to anything permanently.

  Nina assured her they were nice people. Megan was sure they were, but what did it matter? They weren’t Nina and Brett, who would be living thousands of miles from her by this time Wednesday. She trudged up the stairs, unlocked her door and nearly jumped out of her skin when Nina appeared on the other side.

  “What the hell, Neen? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

  “Nope. Just waiting for you to get home.”

  Megan flipped on a light, which made both sisters wince from the sudden brightness. “How did you know I was coming home?”

  Nina gave her that knowing look she did so well. “You were primed to bolt before he ever left the hospital. When we went to see him this morning, he told me you’d be home later and you’d be upset. I promised him I’d be here for you.”

  “It’s irritating that he thinks he knows me so well.”

  “He does know you that well. He knew you’d be out of there the minute you could.”

  Megan flopped down on the sofa. “I’m a horrible person.”

  Nina sat next to her. “No, you’re not. You’re reeling from what happened, which is understandable. To a point.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means it’s okay to be upset about what happened to him. It’s not okay to walk away from him when he needs you. That’s not okay, Megan, and if you care about him, which I think you do, you need to be with him right now. Not hiding out. I thought those days were over.”

  “So did I until I heard he got hurt and I was suddenly right back there.”

  “You had a scare, and you reacted emotionally. I get it. But now you have to ‘man up,’ so to speak, and do the right thing. He’s in love with you, Meggie. How do you think it made him feel to see you leave tonight?”

  Megan pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. “It’s all too much for me. I knew it would be. I told him that. He overwhelms me.”

  “He loves you.”

  “I didn’t want him to.”

  “You love him.”

  “I didn’t want to.”

  Nina laughed and put her arms around her. “Tough shit, kid. You’ve fallen in love with a wonderful guy who loves you right back. It’s time to step up for him the way he would for you. Where do you think he’d be right now if you’d been the one who got hurt?”

  Megan knew exactly where he’d be, and the realization had her standing to go into her bedroom.

  Nina followed her. “What’re you doing?”

  “Packing.” She threw clothes and pajamas and some of the silky underwear Hunter had bought her into a bag. From her bedside table, she grabbed her e-reader and tossed it into the bag. “I’m going back over there.”

  “He’ll be happy to see you.”

  “I know.” Megan hugged her sister. “Thank you.”

  “It’s okay to love him, Meggie.”

  “I’m starting to believe you might be right about that.”

  “I can delay my flight for a few days if you think you’ll need me.”

  “Absolutely not. There’s no need for that.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Go. Have a wonderful adventure, and don’t worry about me.”

  “Right … That would be like telling me not to breathe.” She hugged Megan again. “We sign the papers for the sale of the diner first thing in the morning, and then we’ll stop by Hunter’s to see you on our way out of town.” They were going to Boston tomorrow and would fly to France from there on Wednesday.

  “I’ll be there.”

  Megan followed Nina down the stairs, said goodnight to her sister and got into her car to drive the short distance to Hunter’s house. She knew he’d be glad she’d come back, but beyond that she didn’t know what to expect. All she knew for certain is that she needed to be with him. With the world spinning wildly out of control around her, one touch from him calmed and quieted the chaos in her mind.

  She could do this. She would do this. She would try her best to be what he needed and deserved. Using the key he’d given her, she let herself into the house, which was lit only by the light he left on all the time in the kitchen. The living room was deserted, so she started up the stairs only to encounter Hannah on her way down.

  “So you came back.”

  “I did.”

  “Good.”

  “You’re pissed with me.”

  “I’m baffled, Megan. Truly.”

  “I … I care about him. I really do. I’ve never cared about anyone the way I care about him. I’m sorry if I’m not handling it the way you would.”

  Hannah sighed, and some of the rigidity seemed to leave her posture. “It’s good that you came back.”

  “Is he … He’s okay?”

  Hannah nodded. “He was in some pain, so we gave him another pain pill before we got him up to bed. He’s likely to be out of it for a while.”

  “That’s okay. If you want to go home, I’ll be with him if he needs anything.”

  “And you won’t suddenly decide to leave in the middle of the night?”

  Megan shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere for as long as he needs me.”

  “That could be a really long time. Are you prepared to stay that long?”

  Megan looked up and forced herself to meet the challenge in Hannah’s direct gaze. “Yeah, I am.”

  “Fine, then we’ll go, but we’ll be back in the morning.”

  “I’ll be here.”

  “Megan … You don’t have to handle this the way I would, but I’m asking you, as someone who loves him with every fiber of her being, please be kind to him. He’s one of the best men I’ve ever known, and if he loves you, that makes you very, very lucky.”

  “I know that, Hannah, and I will be kind to him. I’m sorry if you thought I wouldn’t be. Hunter’s accident triggered some unpleasant memories for me, which isn’t his fault. That’s all on me. I’m dealing with it.”

  “I understand all too well how the past can overshadow the present, and I’m here if I can help.”

  “That’s very nice of you. Thank you.”

  Hannah went back up the stairs so Megan could get by. “I’ll see you in the morning. Feel free to call if you need us during the night. Hunter has the number.”

  “I will, but we’ll be fine.” As she left Hannah in the hallway and went into Hunter’s room, a sense of calm came over her. They would be fine. All she had to do was stop teetering on the edge of the cliff and just jump. The thought nearly made her laugh. All she had to do …

  A night light cast a warm glow over the room, which was how she could see Hunter sleeping on a pile of pillows with one propp
ed under his casted left arm. His other arm was thrown over his head, leaving his magnificent chest bare to her greedy stare. He was so beautiful, inside and out, and Hannah was right that Megan was lucky to have won his heart.

  She went into the adjoining bathroom to change into pajama pants and a tank. After brushing her teeth, she moved gingerly to get into bed next to him, wanting to be nearby if he awoke during the night and needed her.

  He never stirred as she got settled.

  Lying on her side, she watched him intently, each rise and fall of his chest a reminder that he was alive and well, if a bit battered at the moment. Unable to resist the need to touch him, she rested her hand flat against his chest, the steady beat of his heart serving as further proof.

  Reassured, she snuggled closer to him, mindful of his injuries but needing the warmth of his body to further remind her that he was there, he was fine, he loved her. She released a deep breath along with all the tension that had knotted her up since the minute she heard he’d been hurt and drifted off to sleep.

  The second the pain pill wore off, Hunter was awake and aware of every one of his injuries, especially his head and elbow, which throbbed relentlessly. Shifting to find a more comfortable position only made things worse until he realized he wasn’t alone in bed.

  She’d come back to him. The realization nearly trumped the pain that had woken him in the first place. He wrapped his uninjured arm around her, willing to bear the fiery blast of pain to bring her closer to him.

  Her eyes popped open. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m much better now that you’re here.”

  “I’m sorry I left before. I’m sorry for everything that’s happened since you got hurt. I should’ve come to the hospital with your mom, and I should’ve stayed with you tonight, and I should’ve—”

  “Stop, sweetheart. You don’t owe me any apologies. I know it was hard on you to hear I’d been hurt, and the fact that you freaked out actually makes me happy.”

  “How?” she asked, baffled.

  “It means you care.”

  “Hunter,” she said on a long exhale, “of course I care. I care too much. That’s the problem.”

  “It’s never a problem to care too much about someone.”

  “It is if you’re me and live in constant fear of the people you love disappearing in the blink of an eye.”

  “The people you love … Does that include me?”

  “Are you fishing?”

  “Damn right I am.”

  “It does include you. I figured that out right about the time your mother told me you were hurt.”

  “Then it was well worth falling down the side of a mountain if it moved things along for us.”

  “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.”

  He laughed and then grimaced. “Laughter is not my friend. Makes my brain feel like it’s exploding.”

  “Can you take another pain pill?”

  “Not for a couple of hours.”

  “Shouldn’t they last longer than they do?”

  “You would think.”

  “So what do we do until you can take another one?”

  “Talk to me?”

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  His eyes closed, and for a second she thought he might be drifting off again. “Let’s talk some more about the moment you knew you loved me. Tell me that story again. I love a happy ending.”

  She chuckled at his shamelessness. Even when injured and in pain, he was all about her. But thinking about Molly coming into the diner, her face bleached of all color, her eyes wide with fear and panic, had Megan spiraling down the rabbit hole again.

  “Hey,” he said, squeezing her hand, “where’d you go?”

  “I took one look at your mom, and I knew something had happened to you. I dropped the coffeepot on the floor and it smashed into a million pieces. I remember thinking my heart was doing the same thing at the thought of you being hurt. I reacted badly. Molly wanted me to come to the hospital with her. She said you were asking for me, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t bring myself to go there, to see you hurt or worse … I couldn’t do it. Your mom was disgusted with me, and for good reason.”

  “Don’t worry about her. I took care of it.”

  “What do you mean, you took care of it?”

  “I explained to her that I’d promised I wouldn’t get hurt, and you were right to be upset with me for breaking my promise.”

  “Hunter … It wasn’t your fault you couldn’t keep your promise. It’s not like you fell off the side of a mountain on purpose.”

  “Definitely not.”

  “Your mom got to see a side of me I’m not proud of. Hannah saw it, too, so now they’re both filled with doubts about whether I’m good enough for you.”

  “All that matters is that I think you’re good enough.”

  “Even after I nearly bailed on you when you needed me?”

  “You didn’t.”

  “I thought about it.”

  “But you didn’t do it. You’re right here, which is exactly where you belong.”

  “I’m starting to believe that might be true.”

  He kissed the back of her hand and the inside of her wrist, his rough whiskers against her sensitive skin sending a tingling awareness rippling through her body. “It is true. I’m sorry my fall upset you. I’m sorry you had to hear that kind of news and that it caught you off guard. I’d never do that to you intentionally. I hope you know that.”

  “I do.”

  “What’re we going to do about all these fears that are holding you back from enjoying life to the fullest?”

  “They’re not doing that.”

  “Yes, they are, and I want you to be able to enjoy every single minute we spend together without worrying all the time about how it’s going to go bad. It doesn’t always go bad.”

  “It does for me.”

  “Not this time.” He continued to kiss her hand and wrist, setting her on fire with only the touch of his lips and the brush of his whiskers. “This time you’re going to get everything you want and need. All you have to do is stop being afraid and let go of the things you can’t control.”

  “That’s easier said than done.”

  “You’re right. It is. But things are going to happen, upsetting things, difficult things, sad things. That’s life. The good news is there’re also plenty of happy things and joyful moments. I want to experience all of them with you—the highs, the lows and everything in between. I want you to have faith that I’ll always be right there with you. And I want you to have faith that I’ll always love you no matter what. I want us to live together and sleep together and work together at the diner and make beautiful babies together and watch them grow up together and then grow old and cranky together.”

  Megan laughed even as a sob erupted from her throat. His incredible words had her emotions spinning out of control again. “Are you proposing to me?” she asked, teasing.

  “Maybe I am.”

  She gasped. “Hunter … Don’t. You’re high on pain meds. This is no time to be having that kind of conversation.”

  “Maybe it’s the perfect time.”

  “Stop it. You should try to go back to sleep for a while.”

  “Megan, look at me.”

  She forced herself to make contact with those beautiful brown eyes that looked at her with nothing but love.

  “I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you spend the rest of yours with me?”

  There she was again, hovering on the edge of that cliff trying to decide whether to take the leap. She thought about what he’d said about the highs, the lows and everything in between. Life would happen whether she was with him or not, and if she had to go through it, she’d much rather go through it with him by her side, always assuring her that it would all be okay.

  He studied her intently, probably trying to gauge her reaction to his question. “Megan?”

  “Yes, Hunter. I
want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

  “Really?”

  She bit her lip and nodded.

  “Why?” he asked with that small sexy smile that left her breathless.

  “Because I love you, and I don’t want to be anywhere but where you are.”

  “Good answer, my love.” With his hand curled around her nape, he drew her into a sweet, lingering kiss. “Do me a favor?”

  “Anything.”

  “There’s a small silver bag in the top drawer of my dresser. Will you get it for me?”

  “Now?”

  “Right now.”

  “Okay.” She moved slowly to disentangle herself from him and get out of bed without jostling him. In his dresser she found the bag but couldn’t make out the words on it in the faint glow of the nightlight. She delivered it to him.

  “Thanks. Now come back to bed.”

  Curious about what was in the bag, she got back into bed the same way she’d left—carefully.

  “Closer.”

  She scooted over until she was pressed against his side.

  He put his arm around her and handed her the bag. “Help me out, will you? I can’t do much with only one hand.”

  Her heart beating fast, she withdrew a small velvet box from the bag and looked at him. “What is it?”

  “Open it and find out.”

  She flipped open the box and let out a gasp at the incredible ring nestled in dark velvet. “Hunter … what … when did you … Oh my God!”

  “Turn the light on so you can see it.”

  Her hands were shaking violently, but she somehow managed to turn on the bedside light. That was when she saw that the diamond was yellow. Her favorite color. He’d remembered that. Of course he had. Tears streamed down her face as it settled in on her, finally, that he really did love her as much as he said he did. And looking down at the incredible ring he’d chosen for her, she believed, really believed, that he always would.

  “Do you like it?” he asked hopefully.

  “It’s … yellow! Oh my God, Hunter. It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen.”

  “Put it on.”

  She looked over at him. “Are you sure?”

  “Never been more sure of anything in my life. You?”